Module 3: Fostering a Growth Mindset
Module 3: Overview
Teachers must create a class that supports mindset growth methodology. The goal of Module 3 is to provide the participant with a blueprint as to how to foster a growth mindset within the classroom. Many factors affect the ability for a teacher to build growth mindset behavior among his or her students. These factors include visuals, the learning environment, student buy-in, and the development growth-minded peer-to-peer communication. The participant will watch videos, read articles, and complete activities designed to help develop the specific growth mindset intangibles within their current classroom.
Unit Objectives
After completing this unit the learner will be able to:
- Identify the features of a growth-minded classroom
- Teach, promote, and encourage Growth Mindset attitudes
- Research and Develop Growth Mindset anchor activities
Preliminary Activity
Visualize the inside of your growth minded classroom...
What might you see on the walls?
How do the students speak to each other in academic settings?
What type of learning activities would you see?
How would organize learning environments?
Reflect on any or all of these questions in your personal notes or the provided guiding PDF packet.
Developing a Growth Minded Classroom
There are many important pieces needed to set up a growth minded classroom successfully. In this unit, we will specifically address two ways you the participant can develop a growth minded class.
1. Explicitly Teach Students About Neuroplasticity and the abilities of the brain.
Growth Mindset can be taught in classrooms directly. In one study, Lisa Blackwell and colleagues Kali H. Trzesniewski and Carol Dweck researched how teaching growth mindset to students can both academic performance and classroom motivation. Seven graders were divided into two separate test groups. In one group, individuals were taught specific lessons on growth mindset and how the brain can grow. In the other group, individuals still learned about the brain, but their topics included different memory and mnemonic topics of study. Ultimately, the particular action of teaching a "malleable theory of intelligence" was effective in increasing student motivation and halting declining grades.
To review this study in greater detail:
http://mtoliveboe.org/cmsAdmin/uploads/blackwell-theories-of-intelligence-child-dev-2007.pdf
2. Build Academic Tenacity
Academic tenacity is a label categorizing a group or individual displaying a strong work ethic. A student with academic tenacity is both efficient in their thinking and is capable of withstanding the challenges and setbacks of long-term learning goals. Building a student with academic tenacity is essentially fostering a growth minded student.
Activity: Reviewing Resources to Directly Teach Growth Mindset
Directions: Review these resources below. For each resource list the title, media type, source, grade level(s), and possible learning target you might use for the resource. Note, the goal of this activity is to provide you the participant with real world resources for explicitly teaching a growth mindset.
Resource #1: You Can Grow Your Intelligence
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Resource #2: Your Elastic Fantastic Brain
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Resource #4: Growth Mindset for Students
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Activity: Building Academic Tenacity
In this activity, participants will review an academic text, Academic Tenacity, written by Carol S. Dweck, Gregory M. Walton, and Geoffrey L. Cohen. The professional document provides details mindset and skills that promote long-term learning and the development of these critical non-cognitive skills. The questions will serve as a guide to help highlight distinct ways to understand tenacity and how to develop this grit within our students.
Academic Tenacity: Mindsets and Skills that Promote Long-Term Learning
1. What are the some key components of a student with tenacity?
2. Should student goals be performance based or learning based?
3. How can competition affect learning environments?
4. Explain authors value long-term goals?
5. How can we build upon a student's "sense of purpose".
6. What are some example activities teachers can use to promote and practice student self-regulation?
7. The article highlights three properties of educators and schools which best foster student tenacity.
- a. Identify these "key ingredients."
- b. For each property, identify at least one activity or routine that will promote success in this component of academic tenacity.
Developing Routine Behaviors and Strategies
Activity: Building Strategies "Webquest and Discussion"
At this point in the mini-course, we have identified the traits of a person with a growth mindset. A person with a growth mindset is:
- Self-Regulated
- Persistent
- Uses feedback to grow
- Learns from peers
- Believes Effort is a path toward mastery
Participants will use the links below to research strategies and techniques that will help build on the particular qualities of a growth-minded individual. For this activity, the participant will be provided with links to various websites and teacher blogs. Each website or document will give you real classroom examples of activities that build these essential growth mindset qualities. The goal is to provide you with strategies to implement in your classroom.
After you review each of the strategies, use the discussion tab to talk about the strategies.
Which strategies will be used in your classroom?
How would this look?
1. Self-Regulation
“The students with growth mindset completely took charge of their learning and motivation.”
― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: How You Can Fulfill Your Potential
Develop Self-Regulated Learners
2 Embraces Challenges
“For them, it’s not about immediate perfection. It’s about learning something over time: confronting a challenge and making progress.”
― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: How You Can Fulfill Your Potential
Stretch and Challenge Building Culture (source: http://www.lovelearningideas.com/ideas-resources)
3.Growing Through Feedback and Criticism
"If, like those with the growth mindset, you believe you can develop yourself, then you’re open to accurate information about your current abilities, even if it’s unflattering.”
― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: How You Can Fulfill Your Potential
http://reflectionsofmyteaching.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Critique
4. Peer Learning
“Instead, they are constantly trying to improve. They surround themselves with the most able people they can find, they look squarely at their own mistakes and deficiencies, and they ask frankly what skills they and the company will need in the future.”
― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: How You Can Fulfill Your Potential
Closing the Gap with Peer Marking
Plenary Prefects: Student Lead Formative Assements
5. Effort Leads to Mastery
“effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.”
― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success
Module 3 Checklist
Before you continue to the module reflection. Check to make sure you have challenged yourself in each task.
DID YOU?
Complete Preliminary Activities
- Imagine your Growth Mindset Classroom
Develop a Growth Minded Classroom
- Review Carol Dweck's Study on theories of intelligence
- Activity: Review Resources for Teach Students about the brain
- Activity: Answer Questions about Academic Tenacity
Developing Routine Behaviors and Strategies
- Activity: Complete a web quest researching different strategies
- Activity: Discuss strategies with classmates
Reflecting on Module 3
STOP
ACTIVITY:
1. Look back through the resources and strategy pages from this module.
2. Identify some routine activities or strategies that you will now use in your classroom.
3. Identify one resource you will now utilize to foster growth mindset attitude.
Resources
http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/developing-growth-mindset-teachers-and-staff
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/harnessing-power-of-productive-struggle-ellie-cowen
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/persist-through-challenges-perts
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/217172.Carol_S_Dweck?page=1
Communication with a Growth Mindset